


You're Our Girl

by BroadwayItBitch



Series: Family Life [5]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: American Sign Language, Deaf Character, Foster Care, Gen, M/M, Shyness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-08-03 20:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16332917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroadwayItBitch/pseuds/BroadwayItBitch
Summary: Will and Mike meet their foster daughter for the first time, which is proven difficult because of a certain issue.





	You're Our Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Quick thing: I am not sure how foster care works, so I tried to get it as accurate as I could.

They were doing it. They were going to sign the papers to bring in their daughter. Well, foster daughter. Mike and Will had talked about it for a couple months. They wanted to become parents since Isadora was born and they had talked about adopting a week after her first birthday.

 

They had chosen a little girl, who was ten years old. She had spent most of her life in foster homes because her biological mom was an addict and her biological dad had died by an overdose a week after she was born. Her mom placed her in foster care because she wanted what’s best for her daughter.

 

Her name is Amelia Joanne. Will and Mike hadn’t met her in person yet, but they’d seen photos of her. Amelia was a cute little blonde with hazel eyes and pale skin. They were told she had the knack for art. She seemed like the perfect daughter. But there is one thing.

 

Amelia’s deaf.

 

And Mike and Will know very little about sign language.

 

“Mike, what’re we gonna do?” Will asks.

 

“I dunno, baby,” Mike replies.

 

“Oh, Jesus, she’s gonna be here any minute and we’re not gonna know what she’s saying,” Will panics.

 

“Hey, hey, don’t panic. We’re gonna be okay. We’ve worked so hard to get here. Take a deep breath with me.”

 

Mike and Will suck in a breath, holding it for a few seconds and they breathe out.

 

“Good boy,” Mike kisses Will’s forehead, hugging him as well. “We’re gonna be okay, Will. I know it.”

 

When the doorbell rings, Will’s panic sets in again.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll go get it,” Mike says, leaving Will in the kitchen.

 

Mike goes to the front door, taking a deep breath and opening the door to their social worker (as well as interpreter) and Amelia.

 

“Sharon! Nice to see you!” Mike smiles.

 

“Hi, Mike. I’m sure you remember Amelia here,” Sharon places a hand on Amelia’s shoulder.

 

“Of course I do. Hi, sweetie,” Mike greets, but the little girl hides behind Sharon. “Is she okay?”

 

“Just a little overwhelmed is all, I think she’ll be okay,” Sharon assures.

 

“Please, come in.”

 

Sharon comes into the foyer of the house, Amelia still trailing behind her.

 

“Where’s Will?” Sharon asks.

 

“In the kitchen,” Mike looks down to the trembling girl, “If she wants, she can watch some TV. Could you… translate?”

 

“Of course,” Sharon replies, kneeling to Amelia’s level.

 

**“Amelia, Mike says that you can go and watch TV in the living room while we finish the paperwork. Do you want to?”** Sharon signs, and Amelia nods her head.

 

“Alright, let’s get settled,” Sharon sits at the kitchen table. “So, I know that you are both able to care for Amelia, and I made a tour last month to check the living conditions. Though there is the issue of signing.”

 

“We know. And we want to learn,” Will says, taking Mike’s hand.

 

“We want to learn for her sake. If she’s going to be our daughter, we want to learn,” Mike adds.

 

“Of course. I believe you two are all settled,” Sharon says. “I’ll be back to check in on her, see how she’s doing. It was wonderful to see you.”

 

Sharon goes into the living room, where Amelia is sitting on the couch watching a cartoon.

 

**“I’m going now.”** Amelia gives a frightened look.  **“I’ll be back to check on you, don’t worry.”**

 

“Goodbye, I’ll see myself out,” Sharon walks out of the house.

 

Will waves hello to Amelia, who shrinks back into the couch. Will gets an idea on how to communicate with her.

 

“Mikey, where’s the notepad?” Will asks.

 

“In the studio, I think. I’ll go grab it,” Mike replies and goes into Will’s art studio.

 

He’s been doing art professionally since high school. He’s done pieces based on mental health, fantasy, portraits, even his experiences in the Upside Down. Just El and the bad men, not the Mind Flayer or the Demogorgon.

 

Mike walks back out with a spiral notebook and a ballpoint pen, handing them to Will.

 

“Thanks,” Will says, writing a note on the page.

 

_ Amelia, we know you’re scared, but it’s all okay. We’ll communicate this way for now. We just want to get to know you better. You know our names, right? _

 

Will slides the paper to Amelia. The little girl flinches in fear, but Will gives an encouraging look. Amelia takes the paper and pen with shaking hands. She messily writes a reply.

 

_ Will and Mike. _

 

Amelia trembling ceases slightly, and she pushes back the pen and paper.

 

_ We only want to make you feel comfortable. It’s all going to be okay. _

 

They get why she’s scared. This is her fifth home in three years. But if she wants, this will be her forever home.

 

Amelia, Mike and Will learn more than they probably thought about sign language. They learned the alphabet, greetings and the saying ‘you’re our girl’. They knew that that saying would be theirs. Just the Wheeler-Byers’s clan. No one else.

 

As they tuck Amelia in for bed, they realize how tired they are.

 

“Oh, my God. Today was long,” Will says tiredly.

 

“Yeah,” Mike rubs his eye.

 

“It’s gonna be rough. Having a deaf kid,” Will lays his head on Mike’s lap.

 

“It will be. But you know what? We’re the Wheeler-Byers. We can get through this,” Mike runs his fingers through his husband’s hair. “We will go through anything.”

 

“We’re crazy,” Will chuckles.

 

“And we’re crazy together,” Mike places a kiss on Will’s lips.

 

Will falls asleep on Mike’s lap and Mike falls asleep next. They knew they would help Amelia have an actual family, no matter the cost.

**Author's Note:**

> Aggh! We're onto the Wheeler-Byers family! Isadora will come back, I promise, I just need to figure out how to incorporate Amelia and Isadora together. Next "Family Life" fic will probably be the Party meeting Amelia.


End file.
